The Renegade
by AvianceMagesty3000
Summary: Someone new comes to Pine Hollow, but it isn't just an ordinary girl. When she arrives and unloads a no breed horse that moves as gracefully as water and as fast as lightening, the Saddle Club's suspicions arise.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Suspicions Arise

"_What is the purpose of history, anyway? What's past is past! In the present I just want to be at Pine Hollow!" _Stevie Lake smartly observed as she sat boredly through the last 15 minutes of, what she thought was the most useless subject in the world. Stevie was always impatient through school, but today she was a lot more impatient than usual because of something that had happened the previous day.

Flashback

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Stevie had been on her way to get Belle's tack to go on a trail ride with her two best friends when she heard Max say something interesting in him office. She tiptoed to the boor, which was slightly ajar, and crouched in a nearby shadow. She then heard Max say into the phone, "Yes, of coarse Mrs. Fionne, we will put them all in the 4 stalls closest to the tack room on the left side on the barn." There was a slight pause in which she heard mumbling come from the phone. Then Max replied, "No, not at all, new students are always very welcome here and we still have plenty on room." There was a very long pause, Stevie saw Max open his mouth to say something or start to speak several times, but apparently this person loved to talk because he couldn't get one word in!

Suddenly Max started writing on a notebook paper on his desk. Stevie silently watched the rapid movements on the pen across the paper through the slightly open doorway.

Then Max replied, "I'll have nameplates made as soon as possible, and tomorrow will be perfect at about…" Max's gaze drifted to his calendar as he carefully studied the next days schedule. "4:00, would that be good with you? OK then…Alright, I'll see you at 4:00 tomorrow! OK, that's fine. Ok well… I'll…I'll see you then!" Max hung up the phone swiftly and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked very thankful that that ordeal was done with. He scribbled something indecipherable on his calendar, then walked to the door just as Stevie stood up quickly, just in time to look Max in the face and ask sweetly, "May I please use the phone, Max?"

Max looked very suspicious, but nodded all the same and said, "Just don't make it too long, OK?"

"Okie Dokie!"

As Max strode down the aisle way, Stevie pretended to dial numbers and spoke into the phone, considering a possible career as an actress. Once she was sure no one was around, she abruptly hung up.

End of Flashback

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Stevie woke from her ponderings as Ms. White's impatient voice brought her back to the present, as Stevie sheepishly turned her history book to page 107


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Preparation

"I wonder who the new student will be." Carol wondered aloud to Lisa. They were walking through the hallway at Willow Creek middle school, headed out to Pine Hollow after a long day of school.

"Well, it's probably going to be some rich person. I mean, not even Veronica has four horses!" Lisa exclaimed

"Yeah, but Veronica doesn't have any brothers or sisters." Carol pointed out. This new student could actually be new students. After all, Max did say that new students are always welcome." Carol said, stressing the "s" at the end of students.

There was a pause, then Lisa replied, "Well, we won't know for sure till we get there, so we might as well hurry and get there rather than arguing about it." Lisa stated logically. Carol nodded and the two picked up their pace.

Lisa and Carol arrived at Pine Hollow before Stevie, and went directly to the locker room to change from school clothes into barn ones. They met Max on the way in and they tried to look inconspicuous, but it didn't work as well as they'd hoped it would. Max walked past, then stopped, turned around, and said, "Those stalls do need to be cleaned, you know, if you get bored."

"Which stalls, Max?" Carol asked lamely.

He only shot her a glance and said, "I believe Stevie will be able to tell you that."

Carol grimaced privately, Max really didn't apprieciat3e people eavesdropping on his conversations, and, obviously Stevie hadn't done her best job of hiding the fact that she'd been listening.

Both girls frowned inwardly, but decided it wouldn't do any good trying to convince Max they knew nothing about it.

"We'll clean them right away, Max." Lisa calmly replied.

Max nodded and reminded then that the newcomers would be there at 4:00 and that is was 2:30 now.

Carol and Lisa exchanged glances, silently wishing Stevie was there to help them muck out stalls. 4 stalls at Pine Hollow was a lot to do in just an hour and a half.

Then, they planned their day and wondered where Stevie was as they strode off to the locker room.

"So, we clean out the stall first, obviously." Lisa started.

Yeah, and we'll need to hurry with those stalls to have them ready in time. Second, we'll need to help unload the horses and meet the new students, or, student." Carol added, giving Lisa a meaningful look.

Lisa rolled her eyes, but instead of arguing with Carol, she continued, then, we should all brush our horses, clean their stalls, and go to TDs!"

But somewhere along the way I need to ride Starlight, even if it's just for a few minutes." Carol reminded her.

"Well, could you just ride him real quick out here while we clean stalls? We could do Starlight's for you. And you can give him a real workout tomorrow at the lesson." Lisa suggested.

Well…I guess I could, although I was going to de-spook him to that tarp Max put on top of the hay outside the hay barn, he kept spooking at it while I was riding him yesterday. But I guess that could wait till tomorrow." Carol said.

Lisa nodded, feeling a twinge of guilt for keeping Carol away from training Starlight. But they wouldn't be able to go to TD's the next day, she had ballet, Stevie had a test due the day after that she had to study for, and Carol was going to the base with her father, Colonel Hanson. So today would be the only day for 2 weeks they could go.

They entered the locker room and changed into their barn clothes. The girls were just about ready to leave and start cleaning when Stevie tromped loudly into the room

"I'm going to get that thing back if it's the last thing I do!!!" Stevie shouted. Carol turned around to see a completely socking wet, and very, very mad Stevie Lake.

"Can you believe the nerve of that, that…thing?!?!" Stevie shouted.

Quiet or you'll wake the dead in their graves!" Lisa retorted.

Stevie glance at Lisa and lowered her voice to a loud whisper, " She's slime, worse than slime!"

"What did she do this time?" Carol asked, referring to Veronica DiAngelo, the stable snob.

That thing tossed a whole bucket of water on me while I was coming in the doorway!" Stevie steamed as she attempted to pry the wet shoes off her sopping wet feet.

And it had hay and horse slobber in it because it was King's water bucket!" Stevie complained as she stiffly pulled hay out of her wet dirty blonde ponytail.

"You mean she was actually cleaning out his water buckets?" Lisa asked, amazed.

"No," Stevie replied, "she was only doing it because Max told her to, or rather, ordered her to. Since it hasn't been done since Red refused to have anything to do with King."

"And that was nearly 3 days ago." Added Lisa matter-of-factly.

"That evil little Twit! I'll get her for this one, I'll, I'll…" Grumbled Stevie as she changed into her barn clothes and squeezed her hair continuously.

Carol and Lisa exchanged worried looked, things usually didn't turn out well when Stevie was this mad. They could almost see her brain calculating a million and 1 ways to get back at Veronica.

Aha!! I have it! I'll mix mud, weeds, and hay into both his water buckets, and I'll twist her stirrup leathers and bridle so much she'll have to buy new ones!" Cried Stevie as she jumped to the sky with her hand up in the air like a victory flag.

"But you know how Veronica is, she probably wouldn't change the water buckets for a while, just complain to Ma about them. Then Max would be mad at us, and King would have to drink out of then, and he could colic from that." Carol disagreed.

"Carol's right Stevie, it could seriously put him in danger, even if he didn't drink it, he'd get dehydrated." Lisa offered.

"So? We all hate Kind anyway!" Stevie said without hesitation.

King was a tall, 16.3 hand spoiled Thoroughbred Stallion who'd probably been a great big crab in his past life. He was a pretty dapple grey, but the Saddle Club thought his color and body were too good for his rotten personatliy. He loved Veronica and would do absolutely ANYTHING for her.

But he despised anyone who wasn't Veronica. Red, the stable-hand, refused to take care of him at all because anytime he would enter King's stall he would either get kicked, squished, or bitten.

Now, or coarse Veronica always said he probably deserved it, and that just made everyone despise King even more.

"But he's still a horse, and Max would also get REALLY mad at us." Carol replied.

"And that would make Veronica as happy as a horse in a hay field." Lisa agreed.

"True." replied Stevie, calming down a bit.

"I suppose I'll just have to think of another one then, one worse than that…" Commented Stevie evily.

Just try not to get us into too much trouble." Mumbled Lisa in reply.

"Yeah, and DON'T get Max mad, he is already annoyed with us, thanks to a certain someone eavesdropping on him." Carol jokingly accused.

"Yeah, but come on Carol, think about it. If I hadn't heard that, then we would have had no clue that there was going to be a new student here."

Carol and Lisa spoke at the same time but said different things.

"But we also might not have had to clean out those 4 stalls and we could be getting ready to go on a trail ride now if you hadn't heard, or if you had done a better job acting like you didn't hear anything." Lisa objected.

"You mean, students." Carol corrected at the same time.

Stevie looked oddly at the other two girls for a moment, and then they all burst out laughing. Just then Max knocked on the door and said, "Better get to work on those stalls quick, girls. If you're not careful you'll only have an hour to get them all don't, now get to it!"

"Yes sir!" Carol replied. Then they all put on old boots and shoes and got to work.

Stevie went to go get the wheelbarrow, Lisa went to get pitchforks and shovels, and Carol fetched 12 bags of fresh, clean shavings. They all met back at the stalls in a few minutes, and got started working, and talking.


End file.
